


Late Night Reading

by AfflecksCanary



Category: Beauty and the Beast (1991), Beauty and the Beast (2017), Beauty and the Beast - All Media Types, Disney - All Media Types
Genre: Comfort Reading, F/M, Guinevere and Lancelot, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Romantic Fluff, Romeo and Juliet References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-20
Updated: 2017-04-20
Packaged: 2018-10-21 07:18:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10680399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AfflecksCanary/pseuds/AfflecksCanary
Summary: "She was a poor villager, he was a rich prince. She was a beautiful young woman, he was a hideous monster. She was an angel, and he was a devil of the night...or at least he had been until an angel, brunette and brown eyed, had came and saved his soul without even realizing it."~~~~~~~A certain cursed prince decides to read a romance novel full of heartache and pining, because of a certain brown haired girl....





	Late Night Reading

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, this fic of mine is shorter but the quality is still there, I think!!!
> 
> All mistakes are my own! 
> 
> Oh, also shoutout to my group chat on Twitter, the antiques™, for giving me this idea.

His eyes darted onto her, as they always seemed to do now. They were sitting in the grand library, both wrapped up in their own thoughts, both oblivious to one another's inner turmoil.  
He watched her, taking her in. She yawned softly, inciting a small smile from her companion. Her long auburn hair cascaded down upon her shoulders as she read, her mind wrapped up in her current adventure.   
She stretched out on the windowsill seat, like a cat napping in the sun. From his perch on the floor, he snickered. Belle frowned slightly upon hearing him. "What's funny?" She asked softly. He slowly laid his book down in his lap, searching for the best answer. "Well..." He began, his eyes twinkling, "the fact that I'm reading a romance." He finished, at a loss for words. Her eyes lit up, full of sparkle and admiration at his admittance. "Guinevere and Lancelot?" She asked, the smile never leaving her face. He rolled his eyes as he ran his hands through his mane.  
"Maybe." He said teasingly. 

~~~~~~

Belle's eyes narrowed as she stared at him, assessing him. He certainly had changed since she met him; he'd went from being...well...beastly to being regal, which she supposed was fitting, all things considered. She opened her mouth to speak before a yawn escaped her lips yet again. He smiled again before he stood, his blue coat making him look....no, she wouldn't think that. 

~~~~~~

He shifted uncomfortably, unsure of what he was preparing to do. He bowed slightly in a grand gesture, that may have been playful or it may have been meaningful, he hadn't decided yet. Her eyes twinkled as she blushed. "Oh, but shouldn't I be curtsying to you? You're a prince after all." She said, playfully. 

His face darkened, his mind clouded. He swallowed, trying to clear his thoughts. She shouldn't have done that; he didn't deserve that title anymore. His blue eyes fell upon her, beseechingly. "No...only one of us is royalty here." He replied as he bowed to her again, inciting a blush from the young woman. Then, the world stopped; she smiled at him and he was taken aback for he could see that it was a genuine smile, full of admiration. He really didn't deserve this.  
She stood slowly before a smirk crossed her face. Her green dress billowing at her heels, she curtsied slowly and said, "My prince.", in a teasing tone. He rolled his eyes, all formality forgotten. "Oh...shut up." He said finally, the playfulness never leaving his voice. 

~~~~~~

Her thoughts were a raging storm as she stared at him and traded playful insults. Her feelings for him were still a jumble of confusion; He was everything she had ever wanted but there was the minor problem that he was holding her hostage. She frowned slightly, making his face fill with concern. "Are you alright?" He asked softly, making her bittersweet.  
She paused for a moment, thinking deeply for she didn't want to say the wrong thing. She sighed softly and looked up at the beastly prince. "I'm just tired." She said finally, at a loss for words.

~~~~~~~  
He sighed as she said those words. He sat his book on the table beside him and held out his arm. "Would you like me to walk you to your room?" He always hated putting himself out like this, for he feared that she still hated him. Belle's eyes twinkled enchantingly as she nodded and placed her small hand on his arm, entangling her fingers with his fur.  
Her touch calmed him, the storm inside his mind winding down.   
Belle was his source of comfort, even if she didn't realize this; she had taken his icy cold heart and warmed it again with her sunshine. His castle had be a prison, a confinement that was slowly choking the life out of him until she came and breathed new life into both it and him.

~~~~~~~~

The door to her bedroom awoke them both from their thoughts in the nighttime silence. Belle carefully removed her hand, hating letting go. He shifted uncomfortably in front of her, mirroring her emotions. "Thank you." She said softly after a awkward pause. His face lit up with a expression of awe and something that she couldn't put her finger on.... "You're welcome." He said, the corners of his mouth turning up.   
She stared at him, her eyes meeting his in a dance of affection, as she remembered him fighting off a pack of wolves to protect and she knew that she would always be safe when he was near. 

Belle tore her gaze away from his, blushing. She carefully stood on her tiptoes and touched her lips to his furry cheek, hearing a small gasp from him as she did. "Good night." She said as she opened and closed her bedroom door, leaving him breathless on the other side. 

~~~~~~

He stared at the closed door, awestruck. Had she actually just...? He slowly raised his paw to his cheek and touched the spot that her lips had collided with. He swallowed, awestruck.   
The tortured creature slowly walked towards the library, hoping to retrieve his book so as to calm his thoughts. Yes, it had been nothing more than a innocent peck on the cheek but it signified something much deeper; it signified hope. Hope that things were getting better. Hope that she may, one day, grow to care about him. 

He paused for a moment, lost in thought. It didn't matter if she didn't love him in that way, not really. He would be content to just have her friendship for the rest of his life, just so long as he had her near, he would be content. 

He sighed as he reached the library, the familiar smell of his books - no, Belle's books - hitting him, calming his senses. He walked towards the windowsill where they had been sitting previously. The snow fell outside the window as always, but now he could truly appreciate its beauty; he could appreciate the fall of the snowflakes, the uniqueness of each of them, the small things that made them different and the small things that made them alike, much like he and Belle. She was a poor villager, he was a rich prince. She was a beautiful young woman, he was a hideous monster. She was an angel, and he was a devil of the night...or at least he had been until an angel, brunette and brown eyed, had came and saved his soul without even realizing it. 

He finally tore his gaze away from the frozen window, returning to his previous task. He reached down to grab his book off of the window seat before he paused. Lying next to his book, lied Belle's copy of that blasted Romeo and Juliet. A slight smile crept it's way onto his face as he carefully ran a claw across the cover of her book. He picked it up slowly and shook his head; was he actually contemplating this? He sighed and rolled his sparkling blue eyes. Maybe it wouldn't be as terrible as all the times before.....

~~~~~~~

The morning light shone through the castle as Belle glanced around the dusty hallways. The teapot and clock, that walked beside her, frowned as they did the same. "We must finish cleaning this end of the castle." Mrs. Potts said. Cogsworth's little eyes narrowed upon her words. "No, no, and no! The Master wouldn't dare stand for that. He wouldn't let you!"   
She smirked at the bickering teapot and clock; she had a suspicion that a certain cursed prince just might let them.... 

She was shaken from her thoughts when a small metal arm began tapping her on the leg. She looked down, surprised, to see Lumíere. "Oh! Bonjour, Lumíere!" She said, smiling again. The small candelabra grinned mischievously and said, "Would you like me to wake the Master? So as you can clean?"   
Belle smiled softly, unsure. "I suppose..."

~~~~~  
He sat up straight as he glared at Lumíere. "Are you serious?!" He asked, disbelievingly. Lumiere nodded, his little metal head swaying. "Oui." The candle said as he jumped off of the bed. "It was Mrs. Potts' idea." He added before pausing. "Also...mademoiselle Belle will be assisting her." Lumiere added as an afterthought.

His blue eyes widened as he threw back the blankets and rushed towards his wardrobe. He quickly grabbed a white shirt and pants and threw them on; the irony wasn't lost on him. Before Belle had arrived, he hadn't cared about clothing. He was no longer human, so why act like it? It was yet another example of how much Belle had changed him.

He yanked his bedroom door open, surprised to see her on the other side, her hand raised in a knocking motion. His mouth fell, slightly agape. Her brown eyes scanned him, embarrassed, before they quickly flickered down towards her feet. She started to speak before the small teapot pushed it's way past her. "Enough chatting. Time to clean!" The teapot cried as Cogsworth, Lumiere, and Plumette ran into the room, darting between Belle's heels. The clock ran into her, causing a slight yelp as she slowly fell. Before he had time to comprehend his actions, he had swooped her up into his arms before she had a chance to even hit the ground. Her head whipped towards him, surprised, when she regained her footing. He shifted his weight sheepishly before turning towards the servants who were already hard at work. He leaned against the wall casually, watching as Belle moved forward to help them, her steps small and lightweight, almost as if she were floating.   
The sight made his heart flutter, if he was honest. She was just...perfect in every way. He didn't deserve her in the slightest. 

He watched as she slowly pulled down a tattered curtain before a voice startled them all. "Master?" asked Cogsworth, gesturing towards something. "Yes?" He asked cautiously, afraid of what they'd found. The clock kicked at something before saying, "Where would you like your copy of Romeo and Juliet, sir?"   
His eyes widened as he realized that he'd left the book in his room; Belle's head spun around, her interest caught. "It's nothing. It goes back to the library...", he stuttered, "I must have brought it by mistake."   
He reached down and swooped the book up, anxious to return it, before a small hand yanked it out of his paw. "I believe that's mine." Belle said, smiling broadly. He rolled his eyes as he watched her tuck the book into her apron. She smirked as she climbed her ladder again, still attempting to remove the curtains. He sighed in exasperation as he left the room, the air having became thick. 

~~~~~  
Belle smiled, suddenly filled with a unfamiliar warmth. He had attempted to read a book that he hated, just for her. She glanced around before removing the book from her pocket again, searching for bookmarks. She found a small piece of paper tucked in, almost midway through. Her delicate features were swimming with amusement. She climbed down her ladder and made her way towards the small desk. She reached over carefully and began to write a note on a new piece of paper...

~~~~~

When he returned to his room hours later, he found it spotless and neat; much more suited for a prince than a beast. He absentmindedly looked at his bed and was taken aback. Lying on his pillow was Belle's book. He felt his heart stop as he carefully picked it up and flipped it to his page, where a note sat.

He smiled again as he read it: 'Because everyone needs a little extra heartbreak and pining in their lives. Love, Belle.' 

Maybe things were looking hopeful for him after all....

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Kudos please! <3
> 
> (You don't have to log in to leave Kudos ;) )


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